The Benefits of Working with a Board-Certified Spine Surgeon

By The Spine Institute, 8:00 am on March 12, 2015

Board certification isn’t a legal requirement in California, although choosing a spine surgeon in Los Angeles who has board certification in addition to the required license to practice in a particular state can provide added peace of mind for patients in need of spine surgery. In general, board-certified spin surgeons tend to have a greater understanding of complex spinal deformities, injuries and degenerative diseases affecting the spine.

What ‘Board-Certified’ Means

Board certification is a voluntary process that goes beyond the requirements of a typical state license. In order to become a board-certified spine surgeon in Los Angeles, a doctor agrees to meet standards beyond what’s legally required, often within a certain specialty. In addition to extra education requirements to become certified, a surgeon will also have to demonstrate their expertise to one of the 24-member bodies that makes up the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

Why Choose a Board-Certified Spine Surgeon?

Now that you know what a board-certified spine surgeon is, learn about the benefits of working with one to help relieve your spinal pain:

Familiarity with difficult procedures.

If you’re in need of a type of spinal surgery that’s considered fairly new or difficult, a board-certified spine surgeon is likely to have a better understanding of such procedures (necessary to maintain certification).

More experience with common procedures

Board-certified spine surgeons must obtain several years of supervised, in-practice training (often assisting with procedures).

Better ability to identify risks

In order to maintain certification, board-certified spine surgeons tend to apply some extra scrutiny when determining which procedure is most likely to be effective and whether or not to nix a procedure that’s too risky for a particular patient.

With roughly 87 percent of practicing surgeons in the United States certified, board certification isn’t all that exclusive. For this reason, patients should check to see how recently a spine surgeon received their board certification. You can confirm certification by visiting the American Board of Medical Specialties’ website or calling (866) ASK-ABMS.

For more information about spine surgeons in the Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica area, reach out to The Spine Institute Center for Spinal Restoration. Along with board-certifications, our spinal surgeons specialize in a number of advanced surgical procedures such as stem cell regeneration and artificial disc replacement with Mobi-C, and are graduates of some of the most prestigious universities in the nation including Yale, Harvard, MIT and UCLA. Call us at 310-828-7757 to schedule an in-person consultation.